Anoles always brown.. Could it be my tank?

[Epicure]

I dont understand it, They have a steady supply of food. ( wax worms, crickets, and gerber bannana food that they dont eat) I dont feed them the wax worms so much because the fear off impact. I dust the crickets too. I have a waterfall that they drink from. I also mist at least once a day. I have two Live plants, that are healthy and lush. The tank is around 35-40 gallon long. They are only green at night! I think they are both males, but i got the first guy and he was aways brown ( he was green when i got him) I housed him by himself for around a month, and the wife wanted another so he wouldnt live alone. So i picked on up, thought it was a female. Guess i was wrong. lol They dont fight, they are not territorial, they share the giving space, they lay on each other.... Im clueless. I maintain a temp anywhere from 60 at night to 80 in the day. These are the first ones ive had that stay brown during the day. I dont smoke in my house, and i dont have them by any breeze.. I dont have a background on the tank.. Im clueless. HELP?

Here are some pics... These pics were taking at night, if you are wondering why he's green lol. I let you guys be the judge...

Thanks, Justin.

P.S. I also used to have a cuban knight anole, that was my baby. And he lived 8 long years.... I miss him dearly. SO i know how to care for reptiles...

[RecycledAgain]

That tank looks way to open imo, Cover up the back of the tank , use a planted background or just construction paper. I would also suggest some more cover for the anoles. I'll bet you a diet Pepsi he greens right up.

Dan

[Epicure]

I was kind of hoping somebody would not say that. I wanted them to feel free inside thier cage. But I will get a background and see how it goes. Feel free to comment guys, I really dont want to stress them out. Also should i put more sticks or vines, plants, get rid of the desert side? Make it more green..?

[FroggieLove]

he doesnt need the desert side. I agree with RecycledAgain, too open. and I dont understand why you have the heat lamp right over the water feature... There should be a warm side, and a cooler side. so usually the heat lamp goes on one end, and the water goes on the other.

[Austin]

Edit- I know a lot of this has been said, but I feel it needs to be emphasized. Epicure, please be sure to read through all posts thoroughly, we all want the best for your anoles.
Where to start....



With your first post I'll address some things...

The fact that they are laying down on each other is PROBABLY causing the brown color! Laying down on each other does not mean that there buddies! Especially with 2 males it means that the one on the top is bullying the one on the bottom, which is causing a hell of a lot of stress. Which causes the brown color.

Just because you owned a anole for 7 years does not mean that you know how to care for reptiles. I'm not questioning your care for that anole, but just to let you know.

Your set up is terrible. It's way to open. Having an open cage does not make them feel free. They will be most happy and will probably turn green if they have loads of cover! They are used to being in big bushes climbing from branch to branch from leaf to leaf. They feel best when there in a lot of cover. When they get used to their surroundings there's a chance they'll come out in the open more.
I recommend changing substrates also to expandable coco fiber. It comes in a brick it will keep humidity better.

There is no point in the "desert side". It will not help anything, it just provides an unnatural habitat. It sounds like you need to read up a lot more. Seriously though, actually read and consider what the people on this forum say. A lot of us have experience and have read a lot of the same threads about the same things. Providing more cover works, they will turn green over time.

I'm sorry if any of this sounded like a personal attack, none of it was meant to be. I just really want your animals and anyone else who is reading this to be in good conditions.

If anyone has anything to add/correct feel free to say so.

[RecycledAgain]

I not so sure that your that far off Epicure. Move the light to what you call the desert side, And plant the other side heavy and thin out as you go. I would use the sticks on the basking side at many different heights.The Anoles will show you what they like. Austin may well be right about the males .. but extra cover may help .. I stress may, if they are two males fighting. But I do suggest Hiding places,,, cover ,, cover ,, cover. please keep us informed ,

Dan

[Epicure]

I hear what you guys are saying. Im not taking nothing to heart. But i will keep you informed. Total revamp coming.... Anybody have ideas on a setup and can draw up a blueprint have at it... IM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS! Thanks for taking the time to reply, really appreciate it. I got a background too. lol

[froggsong]

I'm glad that Austin already covered the points I was going to make.

Ok. I am from the low country in South Carolina. Anoles are so common there that you have to watch not to step on them in the summer. They live in bushes, enjoy hunting through tall grass, and like to climb walls.

What you want is:
a tank with a coco fiber and/or grout/stone background,
LOTS of plants that will support the weight of the lizard, with some grass growing on the "ground",
some aluminum foil or preferably plexi-glass to cover part of the screen top (the towels are sucking moisture OUT, not trapping it in),
a UV strip light,
TWO clamp lamps with different wattage bulbs inside (higher wattage on hotter end, lower wattage in the middle, or on the cooler end if the temps get too low),
a NIGHT heat lamp (60 at night every night is WAY too low for these guys, they shouldn't get more than a 10 degree drop at night, and that's the most it should drop),
a good sprayer or misting bottle (they are unlikely to drink from that water feature, they naturally drink water from droplets on plant leaves and other surfaces, and forcing them to drink any other way is, IMO, cruel, as they will often dehydrate before they will drink from a dish or stream of water),
and a thermometer/hygrometer combo with a probe to measure your basking temp.

Also, why are you afraid of impaction from waxworms? You are right in that they should be a treat, but waxworms pose NO threat of impaction, as they are completely soft bodied. Did you mean mealworms? Are they white or yellow? They wont be eating the baby food anytime soon, because they are carnivores, not omnivores. All that's doing is feeding any stray crickets, lol...

A close up pic of the back of each lizard will help us tell you if they are both males or are indeed a male and female. Also, a close up of the head, if possible.

Your basking area should be between 85 and 90 degrees, with a cooler side of 75-80 degrees, and no lower than 65 at night (70 is better, and 70 on one side and 65 on the other is even better!).

You'll need to keep the humidity up, The plants will help with that alot, once you get them, but you'll have to cover the screen quite a bit. If you use plexi, don't put it under any of the lights, they will make it melt. Also, be aware that glass and plexi and even screen block alot of UV. (I will say, I am of the opinion that these lizards can be kept without a UV source, as I never provided one for my anole and he was very healthy, but it is definitely recommended and you should get one. When I keep anoles again, I will be using a UV light for them.)

I'm not trying to poke at you or anything, and I know it was said already, but having a knight anole that lived 8 years indeed does not speak to your abilities. They can live about 15 to 16 years in both captivity and the wild, so 8 years may not have been a full life for your anole.

For now, at least tape some brown, black, or dark green paper around the back and sides of the aquarium. It will help them feel more secure. Also, get those temps up, and be sure to mist the cage (especially the plants). Put some aluminum foil over the top to help with the humidity.

My advice is given with the well being of your lizards in mind, so please do not take offense at anything I said, and please try to correct things as soon as possible.

[Epicure]

Originally Posted by froggsong

I'm glad that Austin already covered the points I was going to make.

Ok. I am from the low country in South Carolina. Anoles are so common there that you have to watch not to step on them in the summer. They live in bushes, enjoy hunting through tall grass, and like to climb walls.

What you want is:
a tank with a coco fiber and/or grout/stone background,
LOTS of plants that will support the weight of the lizard, with some grass growing on the "ground",
some aluminum foil or preferably plexi-glass to cover part of the screen top (the towels are sucking moisture OUT, not trapping it in),
a UV strip light,
TWO clamp lamps with different wattage bulbs inside (higher wattage on hotter end, lower wattage in the middle, or on the cooler end if the temps get too low),
a NIGHT heat lamp (60 at night every night is WAY too low for these guys, they shouldn't get more than a 10 degree drop at night, and that's the most it should drop),
a good sprayer or misting bottle (they are unlikely to drink from that water feature, they naturally drink water from droplets on plant leaves and other surfaces, and forcing them to drink any other way is, IMO, cruel, as they will often dehydrate before they will drink from a dish or stream of water),
and a thermometer/hygrometer combo with a probe to measure your basking temp.

Also, why are you afraid of impaction from waxworms? You are right in that they should be a treat, but waxworms pose NO threat of impaction, as they are completely soft bodied. Did you mean mealworms? Are they white or yellow? They wont be eating the baby food anytime soon, because they are carnivores, not omnivores. All that's doing is feeding any stray crickets, lol...

A close up pic of the back of each lizard will help us tell you if they are both males or are indeed a male and female. Also, a close up of the head, if possible.

Your basking area should be between 85 and 90 degrees, with a cooler side of 75-80 degrees, and no lower than 65 at night (70 is better, and 70 on one side and 65 on the other is even better!).

You'll need to keep the humidity up, The plants will help with that alot, once you get them, but you'll have to cover the screen quite a bit. If you use plexi, don't put it under any of the lights, they will make it melt. Also, be aware that glass and plexi and even screen block alot of UV. (I will say, I am of the opinion that these lizards can be kept without a UV source, as I never provided one for my anole and he was very healthy, but it is definitely recommended and you should get one. When I keep anoles again, I will be using a UV light for them.)

I'm not trying to poke at you or anything, and I know it was said already, but having a knight anole that lived 8 years indeed does not speak to your abilities. They can live about 15 to 16 years in both captivity and the wild, so 8 years may not have been a full life for your anole.

For now, at least tape some brown, black, or dark green paper around the back and sides of the aquarium. It will help them feel more secure. Also, get those temps up, and be sure to mist the cage (especially the plants). Put some aluminum foil over the top to help with the humidity.

My advice is given with the well being of your lizards in mind, so please do not take offense at anything I said, and please try to correct things as soon as possible.

The goal with the towels was to hold heat in, not moisture, moisture can be replaced.. Thats why the fountain is in there..

I spray the cage daily. The waterfall is a supplement when the sprayed water dries up, and I read that they cant see standing water, so why not have a waterfall.. They drink from it.

The impaction was intended on the mealworms.... The yellow brownish worms...

Anoles also eat baby food, Im not the only one to do this, There is many sites out there that claim they eat it, when i took my cuban to the vet, he recomend i mix it up to.. varied diet. I know its two diff speceis. But anoles eat baby food. fruit and stuff. search and you will see.

My cuban was 3 when i got him, I took very good care of him. I dont have anything more to say.. poke if you want, but i bite back.

I got a background last night. Im going to get some organic soil and clay balls, and sticks, and substrate, light diffuser, mesh, maybe some expandable foam, various rocks and plants to redo the cage. Get rid of the dessert side, make it a two tone climate (HOT/COLD SIDE). I keep my house around seventy so when i said 60 im sure i was off, it dont get down that low. i got a therm under the hot spot and it was 86. Thats more than enough.

I will let you guy know how this turns out, and post pics.. Also im in my mid 20's so dont treat me like a child. I know what is right from wrong. If you want to call me a idiot, please send me a pm, dont put it in not so lamen terms in public. I would do it for you.. lol

[FroggieLove]

I don't think anyone meant anything bad, or was trying to call you an idiot. Your set up just really looks like it was made by someone who didn't read up on the animals... Their needs are much different than what you have provided for your anoles.

Anyway, I'm gland you're going to be fixing it up. Can't wait to see how the enclosure looks when your finished.